The only thing here missing is the logo. Not that the dust had begun to settle on Wormwood―that will take many years―Marduk is back to keep themselves fresh in your mind. The band is cyclical. Many fans want bands to evolve, many do not. Marduk evolves by continually borrowing from their own past, birthing new ideas out of re-imagined old formulations. Most bands wait until they have run out of ideas before returning to the cutting room floor.

Then there is the copying past glories for the sheer joy of it. Look to the past to build the future. Marduk is not out of ideas when they revisit the war style of Panzer Division, they just love playing those songs live so why not put their considerable energy into crafting a new modern Marduk classic to go along with “Scorched Earth” and “Baptism by Fire”?

The music is at once fast and slow, intricate and repetitive, yet there is no place in the music for you to rest. Intensity is the Marduk way. Marduk could do a faithful Trouble or Candlemass cover and crush you with the intensity of the delivery.

“Warschau 2: Headhunter Halfmoon” kicks the skulls off the skeletons left on the scorched battlefield, left smoldering in the morass of churned and trampled earth that has known no reemergence in life since Marduk last marched through in lockstep. Kick them when they are down, then pepper them with a few score more bombs. A worthy successor to part one. Part two is proof positive melodic lines are overrated.

Once “Wacht am Rhein: Drumbeats of Death” is through, archeologists will have to sift the dirt through strainers to find any traces of civilization.

Marduk uses the EP format to give us great cover songs, re-imagined classic songs or slightly off beat takes on the Marduk original. “Prochorovka: Blood and Sunflowers” is the one track I hope to hear live well into the future. The first two songs I would be amazed if they didn’t play them live, this one would be killer live. Slow punishing drum beat, sharp riffs that strike like lightning, and a simple guitar line anchoring the Voice, mesmerizing to the end. “Tod und Vernichtung” part two, with a twist, or would that be a snap, of your neck. The sun is rising higher after the funeral dawn, the deathmarch continues.

Iron Dawn is so devastating it has a half life. I’d say go hide under your desk if you need respite but better head straight to the bomb shelter instead. You’ll get plenty of rest there when it becomes your tomb.

Clocking in at thirteen minutes you have room on a CD-R to have six complete copies of this tryptic for a full presentation. That is what I did with my promo mp3-files for review purposes, and as far as I am concerned that qualifies it as a full-length recording and therefore eligible for the year end’s  ‘best of’ consideration.

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